Love and Rage
by ovj
Summary: After Kate and Garth are married, Humphrey is heartbroken and decides to leave the pack. but Kate will stop at nothing to bring him back
1. Chapter 1

sadder than he ever had felt before.

"Humphrey, wait." Kate called after him, "please don't go, I don't want you to." She had tears in her eyes as she begged him to stay.

"Kate, I can't stay here anymore. Every day that I would spend here would be complete torture now." Humphrey replied.

"Why?" Kate asked incredulously, "What could be so bad that you can no longer live here?"

"You wouldn't understand, it's complicated." Humphrey turned to leave.

"I'm listening, Humphrey. You can tell me anything." Kate said.

Humphrey spun to face her, "No, you aren't listening. You never did!" Kate saw tears well up in his eyes as he screamed at her. "Even on the train, you left before I could tell you what I wanted to tell you for years," he stopped to take a shaky breath. "I love you, Kate. I could never stay here and see you with _him_ every day, it would tear me apart from the inside out."

Kate took a step back, "This can't be right. It's against pack law for an Omega to love an Alpha."

"That's why I'm leaving. It's against the law for me to see you, since I love you so." Humphrey turned away from her again, "I hope you are happy with him, if only one of us could be happy, I hope that it's you."He ran from her before she could reply.

Humphrey had almost made it out of the territory when he was stopped by Winston, "What did you say to my daughter?" he asked, "You left her crying, on her wedding day no less!"

"Sir, I am leaving the pack. I confessed that to her, along with the fact that... I love her."

Humphrey fell to the ground and began to cry, "Why did I have to fall for her? Why not another one?"

When Humphrey had finished crying, Winston said "I won't try to stop you from leaving, Humphrey; but at least stay until after the ceremony. Do it for me, a last request before you leave."

"Okay, I will stay. When the ceremony is over, I will probably never come back, though."...

The wedding passed without incident, Humphrey standing at the farthest edge of the group.

Over the course of the ceremony, all of the wolves heard a slight buzzing in their ears; they could not identify the noise so settled for ignoring it. As soon as Garth and Kate rubbed their noses together, the noise intensified and was recognized as a deep, rage-filled growl. All eyes turned towards the source, which was recognized as Humphrey.

Eve rushed over to Humphrey, enraged that he would try to ruin her daughter's wedding day like this. She was prepared to tear him apart as she spun him around to face her; but when she saw the look of cold fury in his eyes, she put her tail between her legs and backed away from him slowly.

"Do not try that again." he ordered the powerful she-wolf, "I am not in the mood for you or anybody else!" his voice dropped to little more than a whisper. "Do you understand me?"

Eve nodded slowly and backed away faster.

Kate watched as Humphrey left Jasper in a fit of rage and thought, 'What happened to him to make him this way?'...

Humphrey had almost reached the train tracks when his journey was interrupted by a wolf that he was not eager to see, it was Kate. "You think that you can act like that and then just leave?" she demanded.

"Kate," Humphrey warned, "I am in a very bad mood right now. I don't want to hurt you, but if you do not get out of my way, I will make you move."

Kate's eyes widened at his statement and then began to fill with tears, "Why are you being this way, did you really think that I wanted to marry Garth? I've got news for you, Humphrey, I wanted this even less than you did. Who is going to be there for me if you leave?"

Humphrey's eyes softened slightly, "Kate, you can't play the guilt card on me anymore. I have received too much pain from emotions, so I am going to leave them here. Remember this though, you will always have my heart." and with that he left.

Kate stood by and watched him pad down the tracks, 'I will have more than that'...


	2. Chapter 2

Humphrey was waiting by the tracks for the train to show up when he heard leaves rustling behind him. He perked his ears and called out, "Come out, guys. I know that it's you, I can smell you from here." he turned towards his three Omega friends that came slinking out of the bushes. "Just so you know, I'm not going back and you can't come with me."

The Omegas looked nodded their heads, they already knew that he had made up his mind. "Try to cheer up, buddy." Salty said to him, "you know what they say, 'Ti's better to have loved and lost' you'll find another one."

Humphrey allowed contempt to fill his gaze, "Why don't you try it and tell me how it feels? I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my body, torn to pieces, and scattered all over the territory. If any of you want to know that feeling, then be my guest."

Humphrey felt the rumbling of the train before he heard the whistle, "That's my cue." He raced in the direction of the noise. He neatly landed in an open car, he smelled Kate's scent as well as his own. This was the same car that they had rode back to Jasper, the thought brought a sad smile to his lips.

After about an hour of travel, the train slowed to a stop. Humphrey decided to get out and try to find something to eat. He had been hunting for almost an hour when he heard other voices around him. Suddenly he was surrounded by what smelled like to him was a small group from the southern pack, "Ah, a western wolf." one of them stepped towards him. "Do you know the eldest daughter of the western pack leader, the one they call Kate?"

Humphrey turned his head away, "I used to. For your information, she is no longer available for a marriage to unite your pack to hers. She is married to Garth of the Eastern Pack."

The she-wolf in the group saw his reaction, "Aww, look Thorn. I think that this little one knew her very well."

"Why is she so important to you, what do you want with Kate?" Humphrey demanded.

"Food is very scarce in the south, so we are going to drive the Western and Eastern packs out of their territory. We wanted to do this with as little bloodshed as possible, so we were going to kidnap her and use her as a hostage. If you could tell us all that you know about her, then we will be on our merry way. We won't even harm her, in your honor." Thorn answered.

"Hah, if you think it will be that easy, then you are crazy. Kate will kill herself before she is taken as a hostage. Besides, I will not let you go anywhere near her. I will die to protect her, despite what she did to me." Humphrey took a fighting stance, his eyes changing from ice-blue to knew that he could beat them, but not without injuries.

"This Kate girl is a fool. I mean; if I had a male that is willing to lay down his life for me over a hundred miles away, I would hold on to him and never let him go." the she-wolf complimented.

"So, she didn't love you back, huh? That's harsh, but if you stand in our way, you will die." Thorn dropped into a battle stance, along with the rest of the southern wolves. "One Omega against a whole group of Alphas? You don't stand a chance of surviving, you should have spilled it when you had the chance. Now you are going to have your guts spilled all over this place."

Humphrey sighed, "That's everybody's problem," before Thorn could blink, Humphrey had taken hold of Thorn's throat in his jaws and ripped it open. "Underestimating me, because I look like an Omega. I was an Omega, but I have a special power. When I get angry, I unleash my true strength. With that power, I can slay an entire pack of Alpha wolves in one fight." Humphrey explained over the body of Thorn.

The she-wolf that had seemed so kind earlier, suddenly shrieked in rage, "You killed my brother! How dare you!" Humphrey neatly side-stepped her lunge and sent her sprawling with a flick of his tail. She leapt at him again, but this time Humphrey slammed his paw into her chest as she flew by, flinging her into a tree with enough force to crack the trunk.

When Humphrey looked around, the other wolves had left. 'If they really are going to attack the packs, I must stop them.' He sighed, the things he would do for Kate were ridiculous, despite his feelings for her...

Winston stood next to Tony on top of the Alpha den overlooking the camp, "Kate, Garth! Come here." he called.

Garth sped up the hill with Kate following a bit slower. "Good, I want you two to gather the best Alphas that you can find. One of our scouts has heard tale that the Southern Pack is going to try running us off of our land. We want you to go and negotiate a peaceful settlement." Kate and Garth nodded and bounded off...

After more than a week of full speed travel, Kate and her patrol reached the edge of the Southern camp. Kate turned to Garth, "Looks like they're preparing for war, alright." Garth nudged her shoulder and pointed with his snout at a gray wolf sitting rock spire that was situated directly above the camp, "Do you think that's their leader?"

Kate shook her head, "No, their leader is white-furred like Lily. He... look!"

The gray wolf had jumped off of the spire and was hurtling straight towards the middle of the camp. Almost halfway through his fall, the gray wolf's fur was enveloped by a reddish-orange glow; and when it landed, the fur had become the colors of fire.

Kate and Garth both starred at this mysterious wolf that radiated power, while the southern wolves wasted no time in attacking. "That's him!" one wolf cried, "Kill him!" screamed another; but the flaming wolf moved in a blur, tearing throats and ripping bodies in half. Not long after the battle had begun, it was over.

The flaming wolf returned to the spot where it had landed, and released the fiery power. Kate gasped, "Humphrey!" the lone wolf's head snapped towards the direction of the noise, and he began to slowly pad toward the clump of bushes they were hiding in.

Kate jumped out of the bushes and ran to meet him, "Oh, Humphrey, I thought I'd never see you again. I'm so glad that you are alive!"

Garth also padded out from the bushes, "How did an Omega manage to wipe out an entire pack without a single scratch?" he asked with contempt in his voice.

"Can you not see that she is talking right now? If you interrupt her again, I just might teach you the hard way." Humphrey growled. "Don't worry, Kate. I'm fine, it is nice to see you again though. Forgive me, but I must leave, send Winston my regards." Humphrey spoke without any emotion in his voice whatsoever.

Kate looked hurt by his reaction to her words, "I'm sorry for what happened to you, if I would have known..."

"No, don't say another word," Humphrey interrupted her, "I am not angry with you. I could never feel anything but love for you. These wolves wished to kidnap you and use you as a hostage to run the Eastern and Western packs off their land." Humphrey began to walk away, "If Winston asks, I was never here." With that said, he dashed out of the camp and into the moonless night.

Kate starred at the place where he disappeared and felt tears well up in her eyes, "He really did leave his emotions behind. The only one he has left is hate."

Garth shook his head, "Go, bring him back. I know that you love him, even if you don't know it yet." Kate looked at Garth disbelievingly, when he nodded, she ran to the place where Humphrey had disappeared...

"Humphrey, where are you?" Kate called again. She had been following his scent trail for almost three days now. She knew that he knew she was following him, because yesterday she found three dead rabbits covered with his scent, left for her to eat. No matter how fast she ran, he was always far ahead of her. This morning, she had woken with his scent strong and fresh in her nostrils, he had been watching her sleep. 'Was he protecting me, or just looking?' she thought to herself.

Suddenly, she realized that she had lost the scent, she backtracked but it seemed that the scent just stopped at the base of a large tree. Noticing this, Kate began to cry again. She cried for Humphrey, let out all of the sadness that she felt about what he had become...

Humphrey heard sobbing below him and looked down. Kate was sitting at the base of the tree that he was using as a temporary den. He stood up on the branch and leapt to the ground, turning towards Kate he said, "You sure are persistent, no wolf should be able to even keep up with me, let alone overtake me."

Kate stopped crying and just starred at him. "Why have you come all this way? Nothing you can say will make me want to go back to Jasper Park, so don't bother if that's the case."

Kate shook her head, "No, I know when your mind's made up. I have come to bring you home, even if I have to drag you there." she said with utmost confidence.

This actually got a smile from him, "Alright, I will go back with you, but as soon as I know that you are safe, I am leaving."

"Then I will hunt you down again and bring you home, as many times as it takes for you to stay forever." Kate argued.

Humphrey harrumphed good-naturedly, "Well then, let's get you home."


	3. Chapter 3

Garth finally returned to the Central Pack camp, and immediately rushed to see Winston. "Sir, the patrol has returned. We have some good news and bad news."

Winston gave him an odd look, "Where's my daughter?" "That's the bad news, but first let me tell you this; she is fine, and well protected. Her 'guardian angel' is more than ready to kill to protect her."

As Garth relayed the story of what happened, a young Alpha named Alex stood listening to his recount. 'Oh no, this is bad. Humphrey has found out what his power can really do.' he thought to himself.

Alex padded into the den, "Garth, who was it that destroyed the Southern Pack? Could it have possibly been Humphrey?"

Winston looked at Alex and then back at Garth, "What are you talking about? How could an Omega like Humphrey wipe out an entire pack?"

Alex stepped forward, "Humphrey, my brother, was born with a special power. He can take any emotion and change his body into the primal form of that emotion. For him to use this power, however, he must feel this emotion very strongly. Tell me, was he covered in flames or black as night?"

Garth replied, "He was the color of fire, and when he moved, he seemed to be ablaze with light."

Alex seemed to relax a little bit, "Good, he was feeling anger at that moment. Thank god he still has feelings for Kate or else he might have killed you both. If he ever lets go of his love for her, his fur will become darker than the blackest night and he will grow black wings. If that moment comes, I may be the only one that can stop him from killing all of us."

Winston tried to clear his thoughts, "So, you mean to tell me that you and Humphrey were born with special powers based off of emotion?" Alex nodded, Winston continued, "Why did I never hear of this power? Where did it come from?"

Alex replied, "Our father never told you because he knew that sooner or later, we would be used as tools of war. Our father also had this power. When he was consumed by rage at our mother's death, it took all of Humphrey's and my power combined just to stop him. Humphrey was wise to leave most of his emotions behind, but now all he feels is hate and anger. If anything happens to Kate, he will become a spirit of vengeance. For all eternity, he will hunt down anybody that may have hurt her, however little the offense."

"We must make sure that she stays safe." Winston ordered "If we don't, and if something happens to her, we will all perish before the fires of his rage."...

Kate woke to the sound of snarling and growling, she looked around to see that it was coming from Humphrey. He was still asleep, but he sounded like he was in a fight. As she watched him, unsure of whether to wake him or not, his fur began to darken. Kate gasped, his fur had gone from silver to jet-black in a matter of seconds, and then odd shapes began to form from his shoulders. "Humphrey, wake up!" she screamed.

Immediately, his fur went back to silver and the growths disappeared. He opened his eyes and saw the worried look on her face. He stood up and stood next to Kate, "I'm sorry, it was just a bad dream."

Kate looked at him with fear in her eyes, "Your fur, it changed colors. You started to grow something out of your shoulders." she was at a loss for words.

Hearing this, Humphrey gasped in horror, "It has already started, I have begun the transformation into _the beast_. If I ever begin to change like that again, you will have to kill me. If I am allowed to run free in that state, I will become a danger to all living things."

Kate starred at Humphrey with wide eyes, "Kill you? I couldn't kill you even if I wanted to. I've seen what you can do with your power, how do you expect me to be able to kill you?"

Humphrey gave an impatient growl, "I don't know! All I do know is that if I do change completely, not even the combined power of the Eastern and Western Packs could slow me down. My father underwent this kind of change, it took all of my and my brother's power to stop him; and he wasn't even halfway transformed."

Kate looked at him sympathetically, "Your brother is Alex, isn't it? He always tried to protect you, and always laughed at your jokes; no matter how corny they were." Humphrey nodded, "Yes, he is. He shares my sense of humor, and my power; although he is better than I am about keeping his emotions in check."

'That's why Alex's fur change colors every day, I thought he colored it with berries. Odd, I never saw Humphrey's fur change until a few days ago. Now seems as good of a time as any to tell him the truth.' "Humphrey, you are going to have to figure out a way to teach someone else how to use this power correctly."

Humphrey shook his head, "This power can't be taught, you have to be born with it. So far, Alex and I are the only wolves that have this power. Unless any of us have pups, the power will die with us." Humphrey realized what he had said and perked up, "Alex is going to have pups?"

Kate smiled but shook her head. "Well then... oh, crap. Are you serious?" Humphrey asked in little more than a whisper.

Kate nodded her head, "You are going to be a father, Humphrey." Humphrey's eyes grew huge and he showed signs of an emotion that he never wanted to experience again, fear. "How can I be a father? How can you be the mother? What did I miss?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders, "Do you really need an instant replay?"

Humphrey shook his head violently, "No, no no no! This can't be happening, you're married to Garth. You can't be carrying my pup, we weren't supposed to mate in the first place. You're an Alpha and I'm an Omega."

Kate shook her head at this last statement, "No, _you_ are a lone wolf. The rules that separated us no longer apply, there is nothing wrong with me loving you. For the record, I never felt anything but annoyance towards Barf."

"You seemed to want to get married to him in a hurry, was that because of the imminent war or my pup?" Humphrey asked.

"Both, I knew that if I didn't marry Garth, it would soon become obvious that I was carrying somebody's pup. I didn't want you to get in trouble because of me; and if Garth and I never married, you might have been killed in the fighting that we both know would have escalated into a full-scale war." Kate explained.

"I can't be a father," Humphrey argued, "I know what it is like to have a father that shows no emotion other than anger. I would not wish that upon anybody else, let alone my own pup."

Kate glared at him, "So, you would leave your own pup without a father? You would leave me without a husband, alone with a newborn?"

"I thought you were married to Garth, if not, then how are the packs still united."

Kate looked away, "After you left, I couldn't finish the ceremony. Garth seemed really happy about it, I realized later that he had fallen in love with Lily while we were away."

Humphrey took a long time before answering, "I see." was all he said.

As she watched, his fur turned from silver to a brilliant white color. The shine was such that she had to look away, not long after his fur had changed, it reverted back to its normal silver sheen. "What emotion was that?" she asked.

"That, Kate, was the emotion of mine that you have always owned. That was the power of love." Humphrey answered...


	4. Chapter 4

Kate looked at Humphrey with renewed feelings of love, "You started to grow something out of your shoulders again." she stated.

Humphrey looked confused, "I thought I could only grow wings if the emotion was pure rage... maybe love is the opposite power, hmm."

Kate scooted closer to him, "I don't know, but you looked absolutely marvelous in the moonlight with white fur." as she spoke, Kate brushed her tail across Humphrey's head fur.

Humphrey looked at her, "Kate, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. That is what my nightmare was about, some wolf had hurt you, bad. Just the thought of anything happening to you fills me with rage." his fur began to glow with an orange light.

"Calm down, Humphrey, I'm fine. Nobody is ever going to cause me more pain than what I felt when you left."

Humphrey turned his head away from her in shame, "It seems that the sole reason I left my emotions behind has brought them back to me. You truly are amazing, Kate." He lay back down and soon fell asleep.

Kate curled around him and whispered in his ear, "I love you, Humphrey."...

A dark form was sound asleep in the corner of a well-hidden cave when a flickering light appeared, coming straight towards the sleeping creature. The flickering light intensified for a moment, and the dark creature awoke. In a rush he was on his paws, claws out and wings unfurled, ready to combat this intruder. "Who goes there? Show yourself!" he demanded.

A lithe shape padded into the center of the cave, carrying a burning branch for light. "Ah, it is you. Did you feel his power peak? He has begun to transform into his true self." the dark creature commented.

"Yes, I did. He was interrupted in the middle of his transformation, probably by _her_." the new wolf spoke angrily.

"Yes, it seems that she will get in the way of our plan. If she were to die, however, my son's transformation into the ultimate tool of death will be complete."

The new shape nodded, "Yes, sir, I understand. I will do whatever it takes to remove her from this world."

The old creature nodded, "Go, you of the flaming spirit. Do not rest until she is dead at your paws."

The younger wolf bent down to grab the burning branch, revealing him to be Alex. "Yes, Dalenix. As you say, so it shall be done." Alex picked up the branch and padded out of the den, thinking of a myriad of ways to slaughter Kate before Humphrey's very eyes...

Humphrey turned to Kate as she bounded up the rocks behind him, "Come quickly, the train will be arriving soon."

Kate growled at him, "Quickly, yeah, easy for you to say. You aren't carrying added weight."

Humphrey smiled at her, "It was your idea." Kate blushed, "I wasn't complaining about what happened, just about the relentless pace you're setting."

Humphrey pricked his ears, "Well, if we don't get to the tracks by nightfall, we will have to wait for the next one. Let's go, sitting here won't get you home any faster."

He began to walk away when Kate let out a gasp of fear. Humphrey turned around, feeling a blast of hot air, just to see that Kate wasn't there anymore.

Where she had been standing, there was a flaming patch of grass in the shape of a wolf's paw. Humphrey looked in the direction the paw was pointing and saw more of them, beside one of them was a small spray of blood. When he recognized the scent of the blood, his fur caught fire and he dashed off towards the one who dared hurt Kate...

Kate struggled against her assailant with all her might, but he would not release her. She was being dragged through the forest, away from Humphrey and the train that would take her home. All she saw before she was gripped by the scruff of her neck was a flash of fire and the shape of a powerful wolf bounding towards her. Kate soon heard the pounding of paws behind her and her kidnapper, she could tell it was Humphrey by the growling that followed. Kate felt sharp rocks beneath her before she slowed to a stop. Her attacker dropped her and intensified the light around him, preparing for battle. Humphrey soon burst out onto the cliff face, covered in red flames. When he saw all the small cuts on Kate's body, the red flames turned to an almost black color.

"Who are you, and why have you hurt Kate?"

The new wolf laughed, a dark and evil laugh. "You mean that you don't recognize me, brother?"

"Alex?" Kate asked.

"That is only the name I was given by my master, Dalenix. I was to get as close as possible to you, find your strengths and weaknesses. My ultimate mission was to drive you over the edge, to make you like our father was. It was Dalenix that took over our father's body after we almost killed him, he found me almost a year after we fought our father. He told me that if I could release your inner beast, I could have his power and position when he died."

Humphrey gave his brother a weird look, "What would this Dalenix want with me? If I am so much more powerful, why would he give you the position of leader?" As he spoke, Humphrey slowly positioned himself between Alex and Kate.

"That's none of your concern, and by the look of those black flames around you, I won't have to do much to push your mind into absolute darkness. Once that happens, Dalenix will finally be free again."

Humphrey scoffed and turned towards Kate, whispering so softly that Kate almost missed it, "Kate, if you can still run, I want you to go to the train tracks. Don't slow down until you have gotten on the train, when you get back to Jasper, go tell Winston what has happened. I'll hold him off as long as I can, run when I start fighting with him. You got it?"

Kate slowly nodded her head, Humphrey nuzzled her and turned towards Alex. "Look at what you did to her! She can't even move because of what you've done. I'm going to kill you for this."

Alex glared right back at Humphrey, "It serves her right for stopping your transformation earlier. If she wouldn't have interfered, she could have died peacefully. Because you love her so, I am going to beat you down and kill her slowly. When you hear the one you love scream out in agony as I rip her to pieces, you will inevitably become a creature of darkness."

Humphrey growled at Alex with such intensity, that the earth around them started to move. Humphrey then leapt at Alex while he shouted, "GO, NOW!"

Kate immediately got to her paws and raced towards the sound of the approaching train. Alex, realizing his mistake too late, was bowled over by Humphrey's selfless charge. Alex and Humphrey rolled closer and closer to the edge of the cliff before Alex regained his footing and pushed Humphrey away.

"Tell me, brother. How should I kill her? Perhaps I will rip her stomach open and spill her guts all around you as you change. Or maybe I will tear off her limbs and bathe you in her blood. Which would you prefer, Humphrey?" Alex taunted.

If looks could kill, Alex would explode when faced with the horrific glare Humphrey fixed him with. "Neither you nor your master will harm Kate ever again!" Humphrey shouted at his brother.

Alex just laughed at his statement, "What makes you think that we are alone? We have many wolves on our side, much like the Southern Pack was."

Humphrey starred at Alex, "What do you mean?" "I have under my command, over one-hundred Alphas. They are currently hunting your beloved down with all haste. When they find her, they will take her straight to Dalenix."

Humphrey gasped in horror, "Kate!" he screamed.

He felt a sharp pain at the base of his skull and blacked out. "Never turn your back on an enemy, brother."...


	5. Chapter 5

Kate ran as fast as her paws would carry her, but before she could see the train tracks, she was stopped by an army of Alphas. She heard Humphrey scream her name, but she was surrounded by the enemy. One of the Alphas stepped forward, an older female.

The old she-wolf spoke, "Come with us, our orders are not to harm you if it can be helped. If you resist, however, we are allowed to use necessary force. I do not want to harm a pregnant wolf, so please, come quietly."

Kate looked back the way she had come, "Humphrey..." she whispered.

The old wolf noticed this, "Not to worry, the master wants your mate in top condition. He will not cause excessive harm to your little Humphrey."

Kate lowered her head and followed the old wolf, praying that Humphrey was all right...

Humphrey awoke in a dark room, he was wrapped in some weird, black chains. He saw Kate lying a few feet in front of him, also wrapped in black chains. As much as he struggled to get free, the chains only got tighter. It was not until he released the power of rage, that they began to loosen; though he was not able to get out of them.

"Stop wasting your time, those chains will not let you free until you release the dark power within yourself." a dark voice boomed throughout the cavern.

"I will never give in to your wishes, Dalenix. I will not embrace the darkness as you have." Humphrey called.

"Would you do it to save her? Would you do it to save your unborn pups? If not for them, then how can I persuade you to join me willingly? I have never entertained the thought of killing my own grandchildren." as he spoke, Dalenix came into Humphrey's view.

He was covered with jet-black fur, he had two wings sprouting from his shoulders like a giant raven, and his tail looked like it was made of black spikes instead of fur.

"I will never join you, willingly or otherwise; but if you touch Kate or my pups, I will rip you into thousands of pieces and scatter them all over the planet." Humphrey growled, as his flames began to grow darker and the chains began to get looser.

"Yes, that's it!" Dalenix commented, "Give in to the darkness, let it flow through your body like a river of power."

As Dalenix took another step towards Kate, Humphrey finally broke free of the chains. He was now covered in fur that was blacker than night and had one jet-black wing, just like one of Dalenix's. "Stay away from Kate. Even if you kill me, I will never allow you to hurt her. I love her, and I will do everything in my power to protect her!" he yelled at his father.

Dalenix watched in surprise as Humphrey's right side went from jet-black to stark-white, and then his expression changed to horror as Humphrey grew a white wing to match the black one on his left side. "So, it seems my plan to change you into a mindless beast capable of massacring thousands has failed. You are too attached to your mate, and so, she must die. There are only two ways to remove the chains surrounding her body, one way is to do what you just did, and the other is to have the one who placed them around her cut them off. Since there is no possibility of either of those things happening, she will slowly be drained of her life's energy until there is nothing left. No matter what you do, my son, she will die. Consider this your punishment for disobeying me, now you will know the pain that I felt." Dalenix's expression softened for a moment, "What is the point of having all this power if you cannot defend the ones you love?"

Humphrey gave his father a hard look, "Release her and you might have the family you always wanted. If she lives, you will become a grandfather."

Dalenix gave his son a look of disbelief, "You would forgive all that I have done if I just release her?" Humphrey nodded. Dalenix padded to stand over Kate. He reached out with a paw, claws extended, and ripped the chains off of her body. Kate let out a gasp and began to breathe heavily.

Humphrey stood over her, moving Dalenix away from her. "Kate, are you okay?" She looked at Humphrey and stood, "I think so, I'm feeling really weak."

"That's no surprise, you two were chained up for over a week." Dalenix replied.

Kate's fur stood on end and she looked ready to tear him to pieces, "You! Humphrey, this is the wolf that chained us up."

Humphrey looked at her, "I know, he is my father. He is also the one that just set you free."

Dalenix turned back towards Kate, but kept his face turned to Humphrey. With one swift motion, he threw Humphrey against the wall of the cave and slammed Kate into the other wall.

"You fool, you really think I would give up that easy?" he laughed as more black chains enveloped Humphrey. "Now you will watch as your beloved enters the next world, along with your pups." Dalenix slowly walked towards Kate as she struggled to stand. She finally lifted herself to her paws right before Dalenix ripped her body open with one swipe.

"Kate!" Humphrey screamed.

He struggled harder to be free of the chains that kept him pinned against the wall. Humphrey began to bleed from struggling against the chains, but he didn't care. Kate was dying, and he couldn't help her. Dalenix, satisfied wit his work, left Kate dying on the floor and his son screaming her name.

Kate drug herself to lay beside Humphrey, he nuzzled her as she began to close her eyes. "Kate, don't leave me. You can't do this to me, no. Kate, please, you're going to be okay. I'll get you out of here, you'll be okay. Kate, look at me." she slowly raised her head.

"Humphrey, looks like this is it." he shook his head. "No, you're going to be okay. You can't die, what about our pups?"

Kate licked his cheek, "We will all be waiting for you on the other side. Goodbye, Humphrey, I love you." Kate lowered her head and closed her eyes for the last time.

A single tear rolled off of Humphrey's muzzle before he screamed in a voice loud enough to shake the mountain.

"KATE!"


	6. Chapter 6

Dalenix was standing atop the mountain when he felt his son's power skyrocket. "She must have died already, he is very angry now."

He began to laugh but was interrupted by a loud roar, the entire mountain was crumbling underneath him! This was impossible, Humphrey couldn't be this powerful. Yet the mountain continued to fall to pieces, Dalenix spread his wings and flew away from the mountain. When the mountain had finally been reduced to rubble and the dust cleared, Dalenix saw an orb of black and white energy hovering towards him.

The orb slowly fell to the ground, and when it did, the energy dissipated and revealed Humphrey carrying the body of his mate, Kate. Dalenix stood by as Humphrey cried over the body of the only wolf he had ever loved. When he had finished, Humphrey turned to face his father.

"You were right, her death made me release my true power; but," he paused for a moment, "you made a mistake. This mistake will put all of your plans to ruin and cost you your life. You gave me a target!" with that statement, Humphrey's wings began to glow with their respective energies.

"You were the one that gave me this power. You were the one that secured my fate as an Omega." With each statement, Humphrey took a step toward Dalenix. "You were the one that caused the food to run out in the East. You were the one that sent the Southern Pack to capture Kate. And YOU were the one that killed my mate. For what? So that I could be like you?" Humphrey scoffed, "I am nothing like you. Make no mistake, though, I am going to rip you to pieces."

Dalenix closed his eyes and a single tear rolled off of his muzzle, "My son, I have failed you. I wanted you to realize that there are no happy endings, but I didn't want it to end like this. Hurry, you must stop me before the darkness takes over again."

Dalenix grunted as if he was struck, "Stay asleep, you old fool. So, Humphrey, why do you not surrender yourself to the darkness? Why do you cling to your love for her when it has brought you nothing but pain? Give in to the darkness in your heart and all the pain will disappear, and you will receive a new life. You will be the ultimate power in the universe. You will be Sarox, Lupine Lord of Fire."

Humphrey began to laugh, a laugh stricken with grief. "Even if I do give in to the darkness, she will always live in my heart. Laughable, is it not? I left her to escape my emotions, but now that I have truly left her, they have returned with more intensity than ever before."

Dalenix took a step forward, "Forgive me, my son. I know the pain you feel. Please, you must kill me or else the darkness within me will continue to kill others. He will never be satisfied with your sadness, he feels as if he must cause grief everywhere. He believes that all must feel the pain that I have felt, you must stop him." Dalenix began to groan in pain, "Hurry, before he overpowers me!"

Humphrey quickly knocked his father to the ground, placed his paws on his neck, and pushed with all of his might.

Within seconds, Humphrey felt his father struggle harder against his weight, but it was already too late. Dalenix's body stopped thrashing and his heart stopped beating. Humphrey heard a voice inside his head, 'Thank you, Humphrey. I only wish things could have been different.'

Humphrey turned back to the mountain to find his brother's body. 'He may have lied to me, but he was still my only brother.' Once Humphrey found it, he buried Dalenix and Alex beside each other near the ruins of the mountain. Humphrey walked over to Kate's body, picked it up by the scruff of the neck, and flew to Jasper Park...

It was the night after the Full Moonlight Howl, Winston crept out of his den to stare at the sky. Something inside him was telling him that he should watch the sky tonight. He stood there, staring at the sky for hours. Just before dawn, however, he saw a large shadow land on the peak of Howling Rock. It dropped something before raising its head in a requiem howl that reached Winston's ears as clearly as if he was standing next to it.

Eve, Hutch, Candu, and Garth ran to him all asking what they should do. "You four, come with me. We will go to investigate, everyone else will guard the camp in case this is an attack."

Winston climbed the small mountain to see a black and white wolf with wings crying over something on the ground in front of him. The wings were positioned so that Winston could not see what it was, "Who are you, and why are you here?" he demanded of the winged wolf.

The wolf stopped howling and replied, "I couldn't protect her, I am so sorry." he folded his wings to reveal Kate's body.

Eve gasped and ran to Kate, noticing she was dead, she growled at the newcomer. "I will kill you for this."

The wolf lowered his head even farther, "I won't stop you, I have nothing left to live for. My mate and pups are lying dead in front of me, why should I care anymore?"

Winston recognized the voice, "Humphrey, is that you?"

He nodded, "I'm so sorry, sir. Dalenix chained me to a wall and made me watch as he tore her body open. I couldn't save her, but I thought that she should be buried by her family." Humphrey raised his wings and flew off while crying, "Goodbye, Kate, I will never forget you."

Winston turned towards Garth, "Bring Lily up here, we will bury Kate at the top of Howling Rock. Lily should be here for this."...

_One-hundred years later..._

At the top of the mountain known as Howling Rock, there stood an ancient wolf. He had been coming to this very spot every full moon for the last hundred years, but all he ever did was stand there. Nothing really made him stand out, except for the wings that extended from his shoulders. None of the wolves that lived near the rock would climb to the peak while he stood there, but this night there was an exception. A young female, golden-brown in color, dared go up to the old wolf and speak to him. "Why do you always come here at the full moon?"

The old wolf raised his head, "I come to mourn the loss of my mate. She died many years ago, before your great-grandparents were born."

The young she-wolf tipped her head to one side, "You have wings, like a story I once heard. The story was about two lovers, one died and the other was never seen again. Was she the one from the story the elders tell? Was she the one called Kate?"

The old wolf looked at her, "That was her name, yes."

"So then, you must be the one called Humphrey!" she exclaimed.

"Humphrey, I have not gone by that name for many years. My name was once Humphrey, but now it does not matter. I have lived over one-hundred years, and I have never found a wolf that cared enough to know my name. What is yours, little one?"

The little wolf stood up proudly, "My name is Tekax, my dad is the pack-leader."

Humphrey smiled and rubbed the top of her head, "I pray that you find happiness, like I did all those years ago. My time draws near, you must go now."

Tekax nodded and left. Humphrey raised his head and voice in a howl as beautiful as Kate's had once been. As he released all of the emotion he had penned up for one-hundred years, his body began to turn into stone.

When the song ended, there was now a statue of a howling wolf with wings at the top of Howling Rock...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**THE END**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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